BRUNSWICK — Brendin Page of Savannah is the newest Georgia saltwater game fish record-holder after landing a 205-pound, 8-ounce swordfish while fishing offshore May 31.
Page’s fish bested the previous men’s record, held by W.H. Lippitt since 1980, by almost 20 pounds.
Aboard the vessel “SLO-N-EZ” captained by Kent Phillips, Page caught the swordfish 15 miles east of the R3 Tower in 1,500 feet of water. Page fought the fish for 1½ hours before landing it.
Charles Russo of Russo’s Fresher Seafoods in Savannah certified the weight of the catch.
The Coastal Resources Division maintains records in men’s and women’s categories for 58 species of saltwater fishes, including 13 species of sharks.
“Finding certified scales is often the biggest challenge for anglers wishing to enter a fish for consideration,” said Jeff Mericle, CRD saltwater game-fish records coordinator.  
“We tell fishermen to check with local seafood markets since they typically have a Georgia Department of Agriculture certified scale,” he explained.  
Anglers also may check with their local grocery stores and farm-supply stores.
CRD encourages anglers to familiarize themselves with the current records before they harvest a fish thinking it’s a potential record-breaker.
A complete list of current saltwater records is available at www.CoastalGaDNR.org along with entry rules and applications. Several clear photographs of the fish should accompany the application.
There also are minimum weights for several species.
For more information, call Mericle at 912-264-7218 or email jeff.mericle@gadnr.org.